Well-pumping apparatus



July 27, 1926.

L. G. GATES WELL PUMPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 25

|NVENTOR ATTORNEYS latented July 27, 1926. y f v I i UNITED ySTATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEROY G. GATES, Ol' BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD OIL Colli- PAN Y, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

WELL-PUMPING APPARATUS.

Application led February 25, 1925. Serial No. 11,485.

My invention relates to well pumping Fig. 3 is a part sectional elevation of the apparatus especially adapted for deep we-lls. upper portion of a modified form of the The principal object of my invention is to apparatus. provide a practicable and eliicient apparatus In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 h in which thepower driving means and the designates a body or shell Within which the v60 well pump are both contained in a single greater portion of the apparatus is inclosed, structure of such a size as to enable it to and which is of such diameter that it may be lowered bodily to any necessary depth in be lowered into a well. Secured tothe upthe ell. This construction eliminates the per end of the body 1 is a motor 2, prefer- Il' use o sucker rods or other mechanical conably an electric motor. The entire appa 66 nections` between the well pump and the ratus is preferably suspended within the well surface, which not only create considerable by a cable .3. as shown in Fig. 1, Iin which riction, but are liable to frequent breakcase the well casing (not shown) is used as age, and also involve a considerable expendithe conduit to conveythe pumped well fluid ture of time and labor in pulling the well. to thesurface. Such an arrangement pre 70 Other objects and advantages of my inven` supposes the use of asuitable packer to pack tionvWill become apparent from the followoff the well and separate the portion taken in@ Spegication', l below the pumping apparatus from that v e preferred form of power driving above, but as such use of a packer is well fl'meansfor operating the well pump of my known inhe art, it has been omitted from 75 apparatus is an electric motor` 'current `bet'he drawings as not essential toa full uning supplied thereto by a suitable cable exdcrstandingof the construction of the apr, tending into the well from the surface; and -paratus K the preferred form of connection between As an alternative means for suspending, the motor andthe Well pump comprises` a the apparatus, in the well I have shown, in 8" Huid pumpdriven continuously by said mo- Fig. 3, the body 1 extended upwardly inthe torand a reciprocating engine, operated by form of a casing 4 surrounding the motor the Huid supplied by said pump, theT recip-v 2, and said casing is secured to the lower end rocating member Aof said engine-being conof a tubing string 5. f In this case, the .nected directly with the plunger of the'well pumped well fluid passes up throughVv the` 85 pump. The fluid'employed 1n this power casing 4. and the tubingstring 5,-instead transmittingffmechanism is preferably oil, of through the Well casing itself, as in the which may be, and preferably is, kept sepform shown in Fig. 1.4k arate from the well oil, when ythe apparatus I have found it vdesirable to employ a is used in oilwells, sothat thepower Huid step-down transformer whenthe motor is 90 may be kept free from sand, water, lor other driven by electricity, in order to permit the injurious substances. n use of a low-voltage motor, thereby reducing It is to be understood, however, that the the volume of insulation necessary-in its formV and construction of the apparatus'as windings, and permitting greater power to;v 40 herein described andy illustrated may be be obtained from a motor of-, necessarily re- 95 varied, within the limits of theclaims lherestricted size.l Thev transformer, indicated at to appended, without departing fromthef 6, in Fig..1, is preferably inclosed within the spirit of the invention, vas Set forth in said upper portion ofthe shellof the` motor 2, claims. n y t andisseparated from the motorfproper by a 45:, With this in view, myinvention will now fluid-tight ,artitionf 7. The armature and, 10

be fully' described with reference to-theae-L field` coils o the motor, indicated collectively cqmpanying drawings` whereiiigg* by thenumeral 8,"are positroned below said "'Fig. 1 isa longitudinal section of a pre. partition. Current is supplied-to the trans-` ferred form ofl my well pumping apparatus former 6 .by a suitably insulated conducting 5.0 showing the upper portionof the apparatus. cable 9, which-is referably incorporated in 105 Fig. 1* is a longitudinal "section showing, the suspensionca le 3, the twoi forming in thelower portion of the apparatus shown in reallty onecable with a dual function. If Fig. 1. A if, desired. the cableQmayheseparatefrom the Fig. 2 is a'transversefsection, slightly enea-'suspending `'cable 3, but as suchy construction 55 'lai-ged, on the'line 2 2 ofFig. 1. 1 i ,p would be obvious to' those skilled in the. art, u

it has been omitted from the drawings.. It is understood that suitable connecting wires, not shown, extend from the transformer 6 to the motor windings 8.

The shaft 10 of the motor 2 extends downwardly and may be royided with any suitable form ol s d re ucing gearing indicated at 11. lBe ow said geaiin and connected thereby with the motor .s aft 10, is a fluid pump, designated collectively by the numeral 12, which is housed Within the upper portion of the body 1. Said pump 12 may be of any for purposes of illustration it is herein shown as 'a gear ump, havmgtwo stages, each stage comprising three pairs of gears workin in parallel.- 13 i s the main shaft of sai ump, and 14, Figz 2, is the side shaft, said shafts carrying six intermeshing pairs of gears 15, operating in close fitting chambers 16 inthe usual manner.

The fluid enters the pump 12 through a port 17, Fig. 1, at its lower c nd, Aand is distributed-to the three lower pairsof gears constitutin the iirst stage, by a vertical passage 18. rom this stage the fluid is conducted by passages 19 to the three upper pairs of gears, constitutin the second stage, and fromthem it is disc arged through a manifold or connecting passage 20 into .a downwardly directed passage 21 formed in 'the side of the body 1. Below the pump 12 is a reservoir or sump 22 for the pressure Huid, said pump drawing the fluid from said reservoir throu h the inlet 17. l

` The pressure flui continuously supplied by the pump 12, operates an'en 'newhich is connected directly with the we ump in ingu l fore remains clean,

' other injurious foreign matter.

.able in said cylin er, an

a manner to be described later. aid engine preferably comprises a cylinder 23 ositioned longitudinally in the body 1 be ow the sump 22, a reci rocatin piston 24 oper- -suitable valve mechanism for automatically controlling the suppl of pressure fluid from the pump 12 to sai cylinder and its dischar e therefrom. The spent pressure fluid, a r givits energy to the piston 24, is returne to the sump 22 to be used over again. By this varranfgfnient the pressure fiuld is kept separate m the wel] iuid, and thereand free from sand and .The preferred form of valve mechanism forwcontrolling the operation of the piston 24v forms the subject matterof a separate application, andr is therefore not claimed herein as a part of the present invention. Accordingly, said valve mechanism will be describedherein only to anpextent necessary to an understanding of its o ration in conn trollingthe movements of t e piston 24.

The discharge passage 21 from the p'ump 12 communicates with a chamber 25,y in which is mounted a slide valve 26. Au

Huid and controlled by a suitable type or form, but

`by eliminating practically, the sto ping exhaust' or return passage '27leads from said chamber 25 to the sump 22, and passages 28 and 29 lead from said chamber respectively to the upper and lower ends of the cylinder 23. The valve 26 controls the flow of Huid through said passages in the usual' manner, so that the piston 24 is reciprocated in its cylinder 23 by said fluid.

The valve 26 is automatically operated by oppositely disposed pistons 30 and 31, which are in turn actuated by the pressure pilot valve 32. Said pilot valve is similar in form to the main valve 26, and operates in a'chamber 33, which is in communication with the main valve chamber 25, and has an outlet passage leading to the sump 22, and passages 36 and 37 leading respectively to the pistons 30 and 31 which operate the main valve 26.

The pilot valve 32 is, in turn, operated by oppositely disposed pistons 38 and 39, to which the pressure fluid is supplied through respective passages 40 and 41 from ports 42 and 43 cont-rolled bythe movements of stroke, it uncovers one of the ports 42 or' 43, admitting fluid under pressure to the respective ilot valve piston 38 or 39, and thereby's ifting the pilot valvel 32. This admits fluid under pressure to the respective pliston 30 or 31 of the main valve 26, there y shifting said main valve and causing the power piston 24 to reverse its movement.

The well pump, which is operated by the power piston-24 vmay be lofany suitable form, but is referably double acting, so that both stro es of said power piston may be utilized for pumping the well fluid. This provides the maximum eiliciency, not only by utilizing the power of the motor 2in a practically continuous flow, but also and starting p e entire column o well fluid, extending to the surface of the ground, at each stroke of the pump.

For purposes of illustration, I have shown a particular form of double-acting pump, as being especially well suited for use 1n the present apparatus, but as the novel features of this form -of pump constitute the subject matter of a separate application,^it is not claimed herein as a part of the present invention. It will be described, therefore, only to an extent sufficient for a pro r understanding ofthe apparatus as a w ole, with the understanding that it is merely an example of any suitable formA of ump.

central tube 44 is fixed in the u per head 45 of the ower cylinder 23, an extends downwar y therethrough. 'The upy per end of said tube commumcates with a plunger and the fixed passage 46, which extends upwardly throughl the side of the body 1 to a chamber 46 surrounding the speed reducing gearing 11. Said chamber has outlets 47, which serve to conduct the umped well fluid into the upper portion ci) the well casing (not shown) or into the tubing string 5, according to whether the form shown in Fig. l and that shown in Fig. 3 is used.

The Vpower piston 24'is fixed to theupper end of a tubular well pump plunger 48, which travels up and down upon the fixed tube 44. Below the power cylinder 23 is the pump barrel 49, in which the tubular plunger 48 operates.

. he upper portion of the barrel 49 is provided wlth suitable packing 50 to make a tight. fit about the plunger 48, and said plunger, at its upper end, is provided interiorly with suitable tight fit about the fixed tube 44. The pump barrel 4,9 below its packing 50, and the interior of the lunger 48, below its packing 51, are `slightl);7 enlarged, to provide clearance spaces between said plunger and both the barrel 49 and they tube 44, to prevent the cutting of said parts by sand. A traveling discharge valve 52 is provided in the lower end of the tubular lunger 48, Iand a il suitable inlet valve is provlded at the bottom of the barrel. In practice I prefer to provide a plurality of inlet valves 53, as shown.

The operation of the pump described above w1ll be apparent. When the power piston 24 and the tubular plunger 48 move down, the latter displaces a quantity of well fluid equal to its own volume, and a portion of such lluid, equal in amount to the difference in displacement between the tubular tube 44, is forced up through said lunger, said tube, and the passage 46, and w en said piston and plunger move up, the amount of fluid contained within said plunger is forced up through the same path. The pump is thus ouble acting, forcing the well fluid up on both strokes, and utilizing both strokes of the power piston for pumping. By properly proportloning the effective displacement of the lunger 48 within the barrel 49 to that o the fixed tube 44 within said plunger, that is, by properly proportioning the inside and outside diameters of said plunger and said tube, the pump can be made to deliver a practically continuous flow.

The operation of the entire apparatus will be apparent. As long as the electric current is supplied to the motor 2 through the cable 9 and the transformer 6, the clean oil or power pump 12 will operate, and the fluid continuously supplied thereby will be automatically controlled by the valve 26 and `its associated mechanism in a manner to'cause the power piston 24 and the well pump plunger 48 to reciprocate. l

packing 51 to make aV The use of tle electric motor 2 enablestheA power to be supplied to the apparatus by the cable 9, instead of by the usual troublesome sucker rods; the clean oil or power pump 12 and the cylinder 23 with its piston 24 constitute the most eflicient form of driving connection for converting the rotary motion of the motor 2 into reciprocating motion suitable for operating the well ump plunger 48; and the employment of a dlbuble acting pump, by utilizing the power 4of. the motor 2in a practically continuous flow, permits the largest possible output of pumped well fluid for an apparatus of necessarily restricted size.

I claim 1. A well pumping apparatus adaptedv to be lowered bodily into ,a well and comprising a. motor; a well pump; and a fluid power transmitting connection therebetween.

2. A well pumping apparatus adapted to belowered bodily into a well and comprising a rotary motor; a reciprocating wellpump; and a fluid power transmitting connection therebetween. y

3. A well pumpingapparatus adapted to be lowered bodily into a well and comprising an electric motor; a well pump; and a uid power transmitting connection therebetween.

4. A well pumping apparatus adapted to be lowered bodily into a well and comprising a motor; a fluid pump driven thereby; a well pump; and means actuated by the fluid supplied by said fluid pump for operating said well pump.

5. A well pumplng apparatus adapted to be lowered bodily into a well and comprising a motor; a fluid pump associated therewith and driven thereby; a reciprocating well pump; and means actuated by the fluid supplied y said fluid pump for operating said well pump.

6. A well pumping apparatus adapted to be lowered bodily into a well and comprising a motor; a rotar fluid pump driven thereby; a reciprocating well pump; and

means actuated by the fluid supdplied by said g sai lll() eating engine for operating said well pump;

and a power driven lpum fluid under pressure to sai engine.

8. A well pumping apparatus adapted to be lowered bodily vinto a well and comprising a reciprocating double acting well pump; a fluid actuated reciprocating engine for operating said well pump; and a power driven pump for supplymg fluid under continuouspressure to sai engine.

9. A well pumping apparatus comprising a body adapted to be lowered into a well; a fluid actuated well pump carried thereby;

for supplying said well pump; and a reservoir within said body for containing a supply of said actuating fluid.

10. A well umping a paratus comprising a body a apted to lowered into a carried thereby; iluid actuated means or operating said well pump; a power driven ump associated with said body for supplylng the actuating fluid under pressure to said well pump operating means; and a reservoir within said body `for receiving the spent actuating fluid from said well pum operating means and delivering it to )sai power driven pump.

411. A well pumping a paratus comprising a body a apted to lowered into a well; a well pum ,well 5 a motor associated 'with the upper en d portion of said body; a Huid pum positioned below said motor and driven t ereby; an engine positioned below said Huid pump and actuated by the fluid supplied thereby; and a well pumpcarried by the lower end portion of said dy and operated by said engine.

12. be lowered bodily into a` well and compris- A well pumping apparatus' adapted to ing an electric motor; a transformer associated therewith; means for supplying electric power to said transformer; a well pump; and a fluid power transmittin connectionI between said motor and sai well Pump- 13. A well pm ing apparatus adapted tobe lowered d1 y into a well and comrlsing an electric motor; a well pump; a

uid power transmitting connection therebetween; and a cable for supplying electric electric power to said motor and for suspendirg the apparatus within the well, 14. well umping a paratus comprising a body a apted toy e lowered into a well and having a uid passage formed in its wall, said passage having an outlet in the upper end re 'on of said body; a well ump carried by t e lower end portion o said body and adapted to discharge the well fluid into said passage; an electric motor asso' ciated with said bod and fluid ower transmitting means wit in said bo for connecting said motor with said well pum In testimony whereof I have slgn name to this specification.

LERoY G. GATES. 

